News Media of the Great Plains
Great Plains News Media Several print, digital and televised media come out of the Great Plains and serve the Great Plains area. Most will provide national as well as local or regional coverage, while others will cover specifically Plains-related news. As most media does, Great Plains media take a variety of political angles. Local: 1. ''Prairie Fire''—“The Progressive Voice of the Great Plains” The ''Prairie Fire ''newspaper was founded July 2007 and comes out of Lincoln, NE. Distributed to 85,000 readers regionally, it “provides engaging, thoughtful, bipartisan discourse on public policy and environmental issues, as well as compelling analyses and critiques of the arts and humanities,” according to the paper. ''Prairie Fire ''is largely concerned with environmental issues, specifically the Plains environment. Coverage in the last two issues includes soil erosion, wildlife, and extensive coverage on the migration of Sandhill cranes. The paper also does cultural reviews of local theater and books. Their website is http://www.prairiefirenewspaper.com/. 4. '' Great Plains Examiner'' The ''Great Plains Examiner'', from Bismarck, ND, was founded by Matt Bunk in June 2011. The paper has a circulation of 10,000 in Bismarck and Mandan, ND, and focuses on local business and politics. According to their website, “We practice nonpartisan journalism, providing detailed information and allowing readers to make up their own minds.” Indeed, the paper’s articles seem to take a mainly neutral approach to state news. Even articles on the recent abortion legislation in North Dakota show no obvious bias, but simply report the facts and arguments from both sides equally. The ''Examiner'' can be found online at http://www.greatplainsexaminer.com/. '' '' ''Lincoln Journal-Star'' The ''Lincoln Journal-Star ''reports local and state news from Lincoln, NE. Founded on November 2, 1867 as ''Nebraska Commonwealth'', the paper changed its name to ''Nebraska State Journal ''in 1869, and in 1995 the ''Journal'' merged with the ''Daily Star''. http://www.facebook.com/LincolnJournalStar/info?ref=ts The paper does report some national news, but the emphasis is on local or regional news. The paper’s political slant is ambiguous, although some articles seem to have a slightly liberal bias. But, the reporting is mostly balanced when presenting two sides of an argument (for example, the recent gay marriage debates). An online version of the paper can be found at journalstar.com. National: ''U.S. Farm Report'''' ''''' The ''U.S. Farm Report ''is a national television program distributed by Farm Journal Media, which hosts many other agricultural TV programs and magazines. FJM has offices throughout the Midwest. The ''U.S. Farm Report'' deals with topics ranging from crop prices, drought and weather. The ''Report'' also airs a “marketing roundtable discussion,” features “cowboy poetry,” and “unusual equipment” in a segment titled “Tractor Tales.”http://www.agweb.com/USFR/ Full episodes can be watched on their website, http://www.agweb.com/USFR/. ''Omaha World-Herald'' The ''Omaha Daily World ''was founded on August 24, 1885 by Gilbert M. Hitchcock. It combined with the ''Herald ''on July 15, 1889, and is distributed in Nebraska and surrounding states. The ''World-Herald ''has won three Pulitzer Prizes. The newspaper publishes “news, commentary, information and advertising that encourages readers to become involved in the world around them,”www.owh.com and it prides itself on being locally owned. “The paper now takes a moderate conservative stance."Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, ed. David J. Wishart, 2004, p. 501-525 A digital paper is available at http://www.omaha.com/. The site gets nearly 18 million views a month. ''Kansas City Star'' Founded September 18, 1880 by William Rockhill Nelson, the ''Star'' has won eight Pulitzer Prizes, four George Polk Awards, and the Missouri Press Association Gold Cup twelve times.https://facebook.com/kansascitystar/info Their'' '' mission statement is “Building our community through knowledge.” Reporting shows no obvious bias by representing both sides of controversial issues, but possibly takes a moderately liberal slant. A digital paper is available at http://www.kansascity.com/. ''Chicago Tribune'' The ''Tribune'' was founded on June 10, 1847. Its parent company, the Tribune Company (which also hosts the ''Los Angeles Times'' and the ''Baltimore Sun''), has a set of core values that include collaboration, playing fair, questioning authority, and serving local communities.http://corporate.tribune.com/pressroom/?page_id=2326 The paper considers itself an “industry leader in journalism and innovation.”https://www.facebook.com/chicagotribune/info?ref=ts 1.7 million read the paper daily. The paper can be one-sided in some of its reporting, and sometimes takes a slightly conversative stance. A digital paper is available at http://www.chicagotribune.com/. ''Denver Post'' The ''Post ''was founded August 8, 1892 and has won Pulitzer Prizes in 2000 for reporting, 2010 for feature photography, 2011 for editorial cartooning, and 2012 for feature photography, as well as the Newspaper Photographer of the Year, Craig F. Walker, in 2011.https://www.facebook.com/denverpost/info?ref=ts The newspaper’s mission statement is “To provide you with the most relevant, current news and information about Denver, Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West on any platform you choose, any time you want.” Weekday circulation reaches 309,000, and the website, http://www.denverpost.com/, gets over one million views daily. The ''Post'''s political slant is ambiguous; while some articles can be one-sided, others show more balanced reporting, and both liberal and conservative slants can be seen in various articles. ''Indian Country Today'' ''Indian Country Today ''was founded in 1981 by Tim Giago as the ''Lakota Times''. It started as a weekly paper for the Pine Ridge Reservation, but the paper’s distribution expanded to all reservations in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Montana by 1986. In 1992 distribution became national and the name was changed to ''Indian Country Today''. The paper has readership in 17 foreign countries as well as the United States. With their online version of the paper, at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/, they hope to “revolutionize media for all Native Americans and indigenous peoples.”https:www.facebook.com/IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork/info?ref=ts They collaborate with Native writers, reporters and artists in order to “entertain you with new voices and cultural highlights, and give life to the most vibrant voices in the national community. We are also offering superb online services in the areas of education, business and events–everything from listings of tribal colleges to the latest pow wows.” Sources